Herta Amir is among the leaders of the Jewish community in Los Angeles, a friend and generous contributor to University of Haifa.

Born in Czechoslovakia, Mrs. Amir holds an undergraduate degree from Queens College, New York; continued her postgraduate studies at Harvard University; and holds a postgraduate degree from the University of California in Economics.Mrs. Amir began her professional career as an Economist at the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research and then worked for more than a decade in the Economics Department of the Rand Corporation, a non-profit nonpartisan institution that guides policy and decision-making through research and analysis.

In 1972 she joined her husband, Paul Amir (of blessed memory), in the real estate business, Amir Development, which builds, operates, and manages dozens of real estate ventures in several western states in the US. Mrs. Amir has always been committed to the values of contributing to the community and with with her husband founded a philanthropic foundation, which has provided significant support to institutions in the U.S. and Israel including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Israel Museum, Rambam Healthcare Campus, and of course University of Haifa.

In 2016, Herta and Paul Amir’s donation supported the construction of additional space at the Rabin Complex at University of Haifa. As needs increased, they funded the expansion of the Social Sciences Building, which was originally funded and completed by the Amirs, by adding two additional floors and thus creating additional research and teaching areas for the Faculty of Social Sciences, today called, “The Herta & Paul Amir Faculty of Social Sciences.”

Mrs. Amir’s current involvement is with the Health Science Building, which houses the School of Public Health, the Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing, and the Department of Gerontology.Another project Mrs. Amir is currently involved with, which is under construction and soon to be completed, will be a building to house the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Information Systems, and the Department of Statistics, located in the newly expanded and renovated Port of Haifa in the City’s downtown area.

Over the years Mrs. Amir has emphasized the importance of research and higher education in the life of future generations and in the future of the State of Israel. Alongside her philanthropic activities, Mrs. Amir devotes a considerable amount of time and energy to her activities as a member of the National Board of Directors of AIPAC.

It is Mrs. Amir’s mission to continue the legacy created by her and Mr. Amir to benefit University of Haifa, the City of Haifa, and Israel.